Shanshu Series Book One: Soul Searching
by Emma's Angel
Summary: Set several years afer NFA, Angel comes across a girl with an extraordinary ability, and discovers a love he thought he lost. ON HIATUS. In rewrite phase.
1. Chapter 1

Ok, first off I want to say that this story is in three parts or "books".

Second, It will start out with Angel/Other But He and Buffy WILL BE TOGETHER by the end of the very last chapter of this series.

Third, I am VERY, VERY, nervous about this, as this story is my baby, and like any mother worries. So, please read and review, but also be kind. If you spot ANY inconsistancies that I may have missed, please, let me know.

That's it, other than the only characters I own, are Emma, Hannah, and Wendell. All others are property of Fox, Mutant Enemy, and of course, Joss Whedon.

Please enjoy!

Shanshu

Book One: Soul Searching

Chapter One

The sun was setting as Emma sat with her leg propped up against the front window of Mr. G's Antique bookstore, reading a 1947 copy of Anderson Fairy tales and eating an apple.

It was almost closing time and the store was empty of customers.

So, instead of stacking the shelves like her boss, Mr. G wanted, she decided to catch up on some reading.

She was enjoying the adventures of "The Steadfast Tin Solider" when the bell above the door rang signaling a customer had appeared.

"Hi, Welcome to Mr. G's," Emma said after quickly stashing the book and her apple under the counter.

"Do you know where I can find books on Magic?" Replied the plump old woman who had entered the store.

"Uh, Yes on the back wall third shelf down," Emma pointed to the back of the store.

"Thank You." The woman said as she sauntered towards the back.

After the old woman disappeared behind a shelf, Emma picked up her book and continued to finish where she had left off.

A few minutes passed and the bell rang again and this time Emma's eyes lit up as she saw who her next customer would be.

"Hey Danni!" Emma cried as she walked around the corner to give her friend a hug.

"Hey Emma, how's business?" Danni asked as she returned the hug.

"I'm fine, I would be closing right now but I still have a customer in the back."

Danni nodded her head in understanding, and joined Emma at the counter.

"So how is Jamie?" Emma asked about Danni's boyfriend as she chewed her apple.

"Ugh, don't even get me started," Danni groaned as she sat down on the stool in front of the counter.

"That man is so aggravating," Danni said a wide smile forming on her face. "But I love him so much."

As both girls broke into a laugh, Emma found herself secretly wishing she could find someone to love.

But she felt she was too plain looking to catch someone's eye.

Always sensing her friend's pain, Danni touched Emma's shoulder and comforted her.

"Don't worry Sis," Danni said, calling Emma by her nickname, "You will find someone soon enough."

Emma nodded quietly as the old woman from the back returned with her selections.

Emma very quietly rang up the woman's total and slid the credit card through the scanner.

Printing the receipt, the woman signed her name while Danni placed the books in a small paper sack.

Smiling at the girls, the woman took her sack and left the store.

Danni left the store not long after the woman did, which left Emma to enjoy the rest of her story in peace.

Just as the Tin Soldier was burning, Emma heard a voice call from the back, "Have you finished closing out the store?"

_Oh Crap, Mr. G!_ Emma thought as she raced to throw her apple core away and put the book back on the shelf.

"Almost," she called back as she hurriedly tried to hide the evidence of her snack.

"Well, when you finish eating, perhaps you could help me?" Said Mr. G.

A middle aged man of about 45 or 50, Mr. G had thinning hair and wore thin framed glasses which he would remove and clean when he was nervous or agitated. He had a British accent which Emma loved. He was the only man, since her father had died, that she truly looked up to. He was a kind man who treated Emma like a daughter.

Mr. G knew Emma's aunt, and that was how she had secured the job at the store. He really did not need the help but seeing Emma's passion for antiques and especially books, he relented and gave Emma a job three days week, on Wednesday, Thursday & Friday after school, helping him out in the store.

As he came behind the counter Emma asked, "How do you know that?

Mr. G took the book from her hands and placed it on a stack of other books that were to be put away.

"Because I know you my dear," he said and turned to the counter.

"I've only been working here six months and already you know me like a book, pardon the pun."

Mr. G grinned. "Yes well, when you have been around people as long as I have, you get to know people."

Emma smiled gently as she was being "scolded".

" I wish I could get others to know me that well."

Mr. G placed a hand on Emma's shoulder. "You have to let people in. Don't shut down just because others shut you out."

Emma froze. "ME? Talk to people? Oh no, they'd just make fun of me," she said as she shook head and picked up a stack of books to put away.

"I couldn't even get a date to the Senior Prom, I was so shy."

Mr. G took off his glasses and examined Emma.

She was average height about 5' 4" and had a porcelain complexion. Her fiery red hair fell to her elbows, and tight curls framed her face. Her eyes were an icy blue, that would turn colors depending on the outfit. Mr. G could never remember seeing Emma ever wearing a skirt or dress. She always seemed to wear the same thing, a large, oversized sweatshirt, and baggy blue jeans.

But all in all, Emma could be quite beautiful if she wanted to be.

Knowing Emma needed a confidence boost, Mr. G calmly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Emma, you are a beautiful soul," Mr. G said kindly. "Anyone who doesn't see that is blind and you don't need them anyway."

Emma tilted her head and smiled.

"Thanks Mr. G." Emma said walking around the corner.

As Emma walked down one of the aisles to put away books, a sudden pain shot through Emma's legs, making her drop the stack of books, and she fell to the floor.

Mr. G rushed to her side and checked to make sure she was alright.

"Emma, what's wrong? What happened?"

"It's nothing, Mr. G," Emma groaned as she picked herself up of the floor.

"Just another one those weird muscle cramps I keep telling you about."

"Emma, I really am beginning to get worried about you," Mr. G said as he hand her back the stack of books.

"For months you have been telling me about these weird muscle cramps and nightmares that you have been having. I really wish you would see someone about it."

"It'll be okay," Emma tried to assure her boss. "Give it a week and if it doesn't go away then I'll go in."

"That's what you said last week," Mr. G chastised as he pulled his glasses off to clean them, a sign of his frustration.

"I know, I know. But I really will this time, I promise." Emma crossed her heart with a free hand.

"I must admit I don't quite believe you," Mr. G said as he turned to finish closing the register.

"But I will have to trust you."

"Yes, Daddy," Emma joked as she disappeared behind one of the book shelves.

Soon the books were shelved and the money safely locked in the safe.

At the strike of seven, Giles walked Emma out the door and locked the iron bars that kept thieves out.

"Good night, Emma." Said Mr. G as he walked away.  
"Night," Emma called back as she started for home.

The night was cool, and a warm breeze was beginning to blow. Emma closed her eyes and inhaled the late September winds. The mild breeze soothed Emma.

As she stared at the night sky, she saw the constellations of the "Summer Triangle" and her own birth sign, Aries.

The moon was starting to rise and its small, bright light began to glow in the sky.

Emma loved how the seasons would change, and wished that she had the courage to change herself. When fall came, Emma was in her own element. She had no insecurities, but that was usually because she was not around people.

But as she thought back to what Danni and Mr. G had said, Emma was beginning to think that maybe it was time she changed how she looked and felt about herself.

As she waited to cross the intersection, she heard the sound of a engine approaching fast.

"Sounds like a Pontiac," Emma thought to herself as the car approached. She remembered being a child and helping her dad restore classic cars, mainly the Ford Mustang.

With a screeching of the back tires bringing her back to the present, Emma saw a black car, glistening like an Onyx , sitting at the light across the street.  
"No, a '69 GTX," Emma whispered.

The black car shone like a jewel as the street lights caressed every curve of the car's body. Emma thought that the black paint looked like the kind her dad had used to stripe his own jewel, a '69 Boss 302.

Sunday drives were a blast as the motor hummed, taking Emma and her father on long country drives.

Emma stared at the driver's window and caught the shilouette of a man dressed in black. His hair was spiked and he appeared to have the most intense eyes Emma had ever seen. The man turned to look at her but sped off as the light changed.

Emma wasn't sure which was more beautiful, the car, or the man driving the car.

Feeling a sudden headache coming on, she crossed the street and continue to walk home.

Opening the door to her townhouse, Emma rubbed her head as she walked into her bedroom and opened her dresser drawer. Grabbing the bottle of aspirin she kept there, she doubled over as pain engulfed her head and images raced through her mind like a speeding train. She tried to maintain some sort of focus, but the pain was overwhelming.

After a few minutes of writhing agony, the pain subsided.

Walking into her bathroom, she fixed a glass of water and took two aspirin.

Lying down on her bed, Emma tried to figure out what had happened. It had been years since she had had a headache like this.

The last time, was when she got the news that her dad had died in wreck while driving the Boss.

She was devastated and had stayed in bed for a week complaining of a migraine.

As she got older, she would sometimes get pictures from a person's past, and /or present when she met someone new, but they never made her cry out in pain before.

_It must have been because of that man_, Emma thought rubbing her head. _There's something about him. _

Turning over on her side, Emma turned out her lamp and tried to go to sleep. She dreamed about a lot of things, but the same things kept coming to mind; a strange looking object, a name written in blood. And two words, _Old Soul_.

Emma sat up in bed and grabbed a pen and paper. After noting what she had seen, she went back over the words and was puzzled about the words _Old Soul_.

What was a _Old Soul_ and why was that man involved?

End chapter One


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Emma sat in her seat as she watched the teacher write on the chalkboard, trying to maintain her interest.

It wasn't that the subject was boring. Quite the opposite, Emma always enjoyed her Humanities class. But for some reason, she kept thinking about the vision she had last night.

The old and brittle paper of the scroll she had seen looked familiar, as did the name. But she could not remember whose name it was. All she could remember was that the name was written in blood.

The name came with a flurry of images. Many she could not make out. But she vaguely caught the shape of someone, but who he or she was, she couldn't see.

But what bugged her most were the words "old soul".

She knew she had heard those words somewhere recently.

"Emma," came the teacher's voice pulling Emma away from her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Did you have an answer?"

Emma blinked her eyes. "Huh?"

The Teacher pointed at her arm which was raised.

"You have your hand raised, did you have an answer?"

Emma blushed as she lowered her hand.

"Uh no, I didn't. I'm sorry."

The teacher was about to comment when the school bell rang signaling the end of class.

As students began to file out, Ms. Stuart shouted, "Be sure to read chapters 12 and 13 before tomorrow."

Emma had finished gathering her books and was walking out when the teacher called her back.

"Emma could you stay behind for a minute?"  
Emma squished her face expecting to get reamed.

"Yes, Miss Stuart?"  
Ms. Stuart motioned for Emma to take a seat in one of the desks in front.

"I couldn't help but notice that you seemed unusually distracted today. Is something wrong?"

"No, not really," Emma said trying to figure out what to say.

"Not really?" Ms. Stuart probed further.

"It's just- Some problems have popped up in my personal life", Emma stuttered.

"Oh?" Ms. Stuart leaned against her desk, her arms supporting her weight as she leaned.

"Anything I can help you with?"

"I- I don't know," Emma said not really sure if she should confide in her teacher. Yes, Ms. Stuart is a nice person and always seemed to care about her students, but what was she supposed to tell her?

_I'm having visions about bloody scrolls and people I don't even know? Yeah, right._

So instead, Emma just kept quiet as Ms. Stuart talked.

"Look, I understand you have problems, and if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask. Ok?"

Emma nodded her head as Ms. Stuart squeezed Emma's arm.

"Can I go now?" Emma asked a little harsher than she had meant to.

Ms. Stuart nodded, "Yes, Just remember to read chapters twelve and thirteen."  
Emma quickly rose from her seat and darted out of the classroom.

Emma was doing an inventory check on the bookstore's second level, when the bell rang.

Heading towards the staircase that led to the main floor, Emma saw Danni walking in with a large book bag hanging over one shoulder.

"Hey Danni," Emma called as she climbed down. "What brings you here?"

Danni set the bag on a table that sat by Mr. G's office.

"What else? Studying."

"Here? But I'm working," Emma said as she followed Danni to the back.

"You can still work, I'll just ask you questions and see how many you can get right." Danni smiled as she saw Emma scold her with her eyes.

"You are just wrong. You know that right?"  
"Uh huh," Danni smiled as she picked up a book and opened it.

"It's a good thing Mr. G isn't here or I would be in big trouble."  
"Why?"  
"Because I am supposed to keep my eye on the store, not a book."  
"Like I said before, I ask you questions and you try to answer them."  
Emma sighed. "Yeah, I guess that could work."

"It _will_ work, I mean look, it's not like the store is overflowing with business," Danni stretched her arms out motioning to Emma that the store was indeed empty of customers.

"Ok, I'm heading back upstairs to finish my inventory," Emma said walking back to the staircase.

"Oh! Let me bring this book with me and I will sit on the stairs."  
"Ok," Emma said as she reached the top.

Danni sat down and reopened the book to where she had left off.

"Ok, so what subject are we working on?" Emma called to Danni.

"Biology", Danni called back.

"Great," Emma shot back sarcastically. "Go ahead. Hit me."

The afternoon passed with out too many interruptions.

When the occasional customer would come in, Danni retreated to the back while Emma helped the customer with their purchases.

After they had left, Danni resumed her place on the stairs and Emma returned to her studies.

The evening sun was soon beginning to filter through the blinds telling Emma that it was almost time to close.

Deciding to get some of her closing chores done early, Emma walked into Mr. G's Office to make sure that there was nothing else she needed to put away.

Peering inside, she saw the usual things. Mr. G's desk was against the wall to her right, all kinds of papers strewn across its top.

To her left a tall bookshelf with several ancient looking books lying on their sides.

Beside the fire exit to the alley, Emma saw what looked like a wooden crate with a cloth draped over it sitting against the wall.

Emma walked towards the crate and lifted the cloth. There was a weird writing on the top of the crate but Emma could not read it.

Curiosity was slowly consuming her, as she searched for a crowbar.

Searching the immediate area surrounding the crate, Emma found a crowbar lying on top another bookshelf, not far from where she stood.

Placing the bar under the lip of the crate Emma pulled hard until she heard the sound of nails slipping from their hold in the wood.

As the wood began to crack and splinter, Danni entered the room when she heard all the racket coming from the office.

Emma finished prying the lid open as Danni helped lift the bar.

With one last heave, the girls lifted the lid from its base.

Peering inside, the girls saw nothing but a bunch of packing straw.

Emma began to push it aside looking for the crates actual contents.

"What do you suppose is in there?" Danni asked as Emma continued to dig.

"I don't know," Emma replied as she waved her hands through the straw.

"All I know is, I will probably get in trouble for opening this if Mr. G came in right now."

"Then why did you open it?"  
Emma stopped what she was doing and looked at her friend.

"You know, I don't know."  
"You don't know?" Danni was confused. Why open something you know will get trouble for doing? It wasn't like Emma to be nosy.

"No. I was making sure everything was okay in here before I started to close down the shop, and I noticed this crate. The next thing I know, I'm prying it open."  
"This is sounding way too creepy." Danni said as she shook her shoulders.

"Yeah," Emma agreed. "But since we're here we might as well have a look."  
Danni nodded in agreement as Emma continued to search.

A minute or two later, Emma felt what she thought was the spine of a book. Lifting it up, Emma realized it was heavier than she had anticipated. Bringing the book out of the straw, Emma set it on the corner of the crate and the two girls stared at the large book.

It was bound in leather, with weird graphics burned into the front cover.

It looked like it was depicting a battle, and the lettering looked like it was from the Middle Ages.

Emma Looked at Danni who said, "Well, open it."  
Grasping the pages with her hand, Emma carefully opened the book.

Inside, there were more pictures and writing, this time more visible than the front cover was.

It was another battle scene but it was different from the cover. This battle showed a young woman battling a savage looking creature with three horns on its head and drool dripping from its fangs.

Emma felt strangely drawn to the woman as though she knew how the fight would end.

Searching the old texts for clues as to who was in the picture, Emma came across words that did not resemble any language she had ever seen.

She scrolled her fingers across the script and tried in vain to understand what the page was telling her. Just when she thought she had it, Danni's scared voice broke through her thoughts.

"Emma, maybe we should put this back."

Why? What's wrong?" Emma asked as she looked at her friend.

Emma became instantly scared when she saw Danni's face. It was white as a sheet and her eyes were as large as half dollars.

"Danni? What is it?" Emma asked as she began to worry about her friend.

"I just don't think we should be messing around in stuff that is not our business, that's all."  
Emma knew Danni was hiding something, but what? Pushing the issue now would only make things worse, and Emma didn't want to upset Danni anymore than it appeared she already had.

Nodding her head, Emma agreed, "Ok, Danni, I'll put it back."

Emma brushed her hand down Danni's arm in an attempt to calm her. Then she turned back to the book and carefully closed the old pages.

Emma slid her hands under the heavy bindings, and slowly lowered the book back into the crate.

Then, she placed the straw back over it and returned the straw she had removed.

Although Danni was still very pale, she was able to help Emma place the lid back on the crate and nail the top down again. As Emma recovered the crate with the cloth, Danni darted back into the main floor.

Emma walked out of the office and saw that Danni had hurriedly gathered the books into her bag and was on her way out the door.

"Danni are you okay?" Emma called out as she tried to follow Danni out of the store.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow after school," was all Danni said as she left Emma standing in the middle of the bookstore, wondering what the hell had happened.

Rain thundered outside Danni's apartment window as she tried to forget what she had seen.

She was sitting in her favorite bean bag chair with a crocheted blanket draping her legs and a steaming cup of hot tea in the other.

As lightning flashed outside, Danni tried to control the tears that were threatening to escape.

For three years now, Danni had fought hard to forget a part of her life that had left her with no family and no home.

The nightmares were finally starting to go away, just when Danni thought she would be able to move on, it all came rushing back.

Images filled with torture, pain, and regrets.

If only it had been her who had jumped and not her sister.

If only she could have found another way to stop what was coming.

If only everyone who had loved her and her sister had not turned their backs and betrayed them, maybe, just maybe, things would have been different.

Danni remembered hearing her sister talk about her dreams of walking along a sun drenched beach with a guardian angel beside her.  
They would kiss passionately and make love on the sands.

Danni had always hoped that dream would come true, but instead, her sister had ran off to New York to save her so-called guardian angel and he wound up killing her instead.

Danni had tried contacting the PTB, but they never answered.

So Danni, moved to Oklahoma and tried to start over. She was going to finish college where her sister did not. She was going find someone to love and walk down the sunny beaches with, even if her sister would never get that chance.

Danni was going to do everything her sister never got the chance to do.

Live a normal life.

No more monsters, no fighting.

It was over.

Or so she had thought, until Emma had opened that book.

She could not remember the name of the creature, only that it was a Demon.

And she could understand a few of the words from when she used to hang out at the Magic Box with Giles.

And what she could read brought everything back.

Now, she sat in her living room, wishing she could rewind today and never think about going to the Bookstore.

But, she had, and now she had to realize that she going to probably end up in the middle of it all, all over again.

Lightening flashed and thunder roared, making Danni jump in her seat.

Clutching her chest, she tried to catch her breath.

Another thunderbolt ripped through the sky this time, and a loud crash made Danni scream.

Realizing something had fallen behind her, she turned around and noticed that one of her favorite pictures had fallen and the glass had broken.

Rising from her chair, she walked into her kitchen and grabbed her dust pan and broom.

Kneeling before the broken glass, she noticed the picture that had fallen was one back when things were happier.

Slipping the picture from the broken mess, Danni stared at the photo.

It was taken during Summer vacation and it was just her and her sister.

Danni smiled as she stared at her sister's smiling face. Her long, wavy, blond hair framed her face like a halo, casting a golden glow on her lightly tanned skin.

The hazel eyes almost looked emerald, as she was so happy that Danni had decided to stay with her in Italy and finish her schooling.

Everything looked like it was going well. And then _he_ called needing her help.

And like a lovesick puppy she went.

Not that Danni could really blame her.

She had always loved him.

Even when he had gone evil on her, tried to kill her friends and family, she still had a hard time _not _loving him.

Danni finished brushing the glass into the pan and put the pieces in the trash can.

Then, she took the picture and went back to her bedroom.

Setting the picture on the pillow beside her, Danni climbed under the covers.

Kissing her fingers then touching the picture, Danni whispered, "Good Night Buffy," then she closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep.

End Chapter Two

Tell me what you think! PLEASE read & review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I have neglected to give credit to two VERY important people who have made this possible: First: To Darla, (you know who you are) Your input is what gave me the confidence to even THINK about posting this! Thank you.

Second: To Mack, You have been instrumental in keeping me on track, in every aspect of this, please keep it up! And Thank you for all those late night phone conferences! LOL Thanks Girl, I wouldn't be as far I am without your Beta's.

My apologies for not mentioning you guys sooner! That's it. Now enjoy!

This chapter rated "M" just to be safe, b/c this chap contains scenes of violence.

Chapter Three

The afternoon sun filtered into the shop as Emma sat at the counter trying to finish her homework.

It had been three days since she had seen Danni and she was beginning to get worried.

Emma had seen her at school, and tried to stop her so they could talk, but Danni seemed to ignore her.

Emma hoped she was okay, but the way Danni was acting around her had her worried. She hoped against hope that she had not lost Danni's friendship.

Emma sat staring at her textbook, and wondered what had happened in the back room, that had suddenly made Danni afraid of her.

Mr. G had no idea that they had opened the crate, or if he did notice, he did not seem to care.

Emma was trying to maintain a focus on her studies. And what pissed her off even more is the fact that she was supposed to turn in a paper on the economic impact of Ireland's most important port town, in two days. And she was getting nowhere.

Laying her head onto the pages of her book, Emma grunted in frustration.

_Why can't I just get through this_? Emma thought to herself as she raised her head.

"Having trouble?"

Emma looked to up to meet a pair of baby blue eyes, and a baby face.

"Daniel," Emma said as she suddenly sat up straight.

"Yeah," He replied, brushing a long strand of his Blond hair away from his face, "How ya doin?"  
"I'm- I'm fine," Emma said, as any sane thought began to leave her. "I-I thought you didn't like old books?"

Daniel leaned over the desk and looked into Emma's eyes.  
"I heard there was a real pretty girl who worked here and I thought I would check it out."  
Emma blushed, as she smiled back at Daniel.

"Say, I'm going to take a look around," Daniel as he pushed himself off the counter, "Is it okay if I hang out here for a few?"  
"Uh, yeah, sure," Emma said, trying not to embarrass herself in front of her crush. " I have to finish my homework though."

"Cool," Daniel said as he winked at Emma.

Emma smiled as she returned to work.

Staring at the map in front of her, Emma wondered where she could look, to find out more on her Irish History paper.

Then, Emma had an idea. Maybe there was an old book here in the store that listed some of the more prominent merchants who lived in Ireland in the 1700's?

Standing from her seat, Emma walked upstairs to the World section and began to look for Ireland.

She saw several titles for England, France and Asia, but she could not find one for Ireland.

She spent several minutes, looking over every single shelf, but she could not find the one she was looking for.

Depressed, Emma leaned against a bookshelf and sighed. She was out of luck.

Then, a dark green book caught Emma's eye. It was on the very top shelf of the case in front of her, and Emma was determined to find out the title of the book.

Grabbing the stepladder, Emma climbed the rungs until she reached the top.

The book seemed to gleam brighter as Emma climbed.

As Emma reached out to touch the spine, another book caught her attention.

It was once a bright orange that had faded over the centuries to a dull brown. Burned into the spine were the words: Port Register of the Port of Galway, Ireland 1757.

Smiling at her success, Emma began to pull the book from its slot.

Strangely though, Emma had trouble getting the book to budge. She pulled and tugged, but the book would not move.

Trying not make a lot of noise as to disturb Mr. G, Emma quietly tried to pry the surrounding books lose in hopes of freeing the one she wanted.

The first two books moved easily, but when Emma tried for the brown book again, she learned it still would not move.

Finally, Emma grabbed a hold of the book and pulled hard.

Emma and several books fell from the ladder and landed with a thud on the floor.

"Oh, that hurt," Emma said as she rubbed her back.

"Are you okay?" Daniel said as he ran up the stairs, and saw the mess of books surrounding Emma.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, as Daniel helped her up. "Thank you."  
"You're Welcome."

"Good lord!" Mr. G said as Emma pulled her hair back away from her face. "What happened?"  
"I'm really sorry, Mr. G, I did not mean to make a mess," Emma apologized as Daniel helped her pick up the books.

"You are going to clean this up before closing?"  
"Yes, Sir, right away," Emma said as she climbed the ladder to begin reshelving.

"Very good," Mr. G said as he walked back to his office.

"You in trouble?"

"Nah, not really," Emma told Daniel as he handed her a stack of books.

"He just does that to look good. He wouldn't fire me."  
"Whew, good." Daniel said as Emma descended the ladder, and helped him gather the last few books that had decided to go flying.

"Thank you, for helping me," Emma said as Daniel grabbed the fallen books.

"It's no problem," He said smiling at Emma.

Emma smiled as she began to put away the last of the books.

Picking up a book, she realized it was the green book that had started her on her climbing expedition.

Remembering the brown register, Emma told Daniel, "Hold on a second."  
"Why?"  
"There's a book in that stack, I think, that I am needing."

Daniel set the books back down on a book cart, while Emma sorted through them, looking for the one that had fallen with her.

"Ah, there it is," she said, finding the worn and weathered book, placing it beside the green one aside, took the stack of books, and climbed back up the ladder, while Daniel held her steady.

After they were finished, Daniel and Emma parted ways, but looked at each other out the corner of their eye.

Taking the brown and green books to a small corner, Emma sat down on the floor and hoped that no one would come in the store right now as she opened the pages of the green book.

Emma scanned the yellowing pages, and saw pictures that reminded her of something out of a old story book for children. Only this one told stories about how to kill demons and monsters.

Emma could not help but chuckle as she read how to behead a creature known as a Quor Loc. It looked like it would stand over six feet, and had three eyes that lined its forehead.

Emma laughed as she flipped through the How-To-Kill manual from the 18th Century.

How could these things exist, she thought to herself. These things looked like something out of some sick person's nightmares.

Emma continued to giggle off and on as she read about all the strange and bizarre techniques that were to be used to destroy these "Demons".

But, Emma's giggles were cut short as she turned the next page.

This page showed an illustration of a woman, with what looked like a man standing beside her, his hand around her throat. The man had strange, bony looking ridges on his forehead, and eyes that reminded Emma of a cats, the way they were wide, yet narrow at the same time.

He had his mouth open and looked as though he was going to bite the obviously frightened young woman.

Looking closer at the drawing, Emma saw that the open mouth had a pair of protruding, sharp fangs that hung from the man's teeth.

Without even reading the caption at the bottom, Emma knew what she was looking at. A Vampire.

Emma slammed the book shut, disturbed that someone would think that such an evil creature could exist.

Vampires were Human Demons who lived off the blood of its victims. And if it so choose to, it could turn you into one of its kind by forcing you to drink their own, poisoned, blood.

Shaking the uneasy feelings from her shoulders, Emma grabbed the brown Galway Registry, and began to read. Emma flipped through the pages of the old ledger, and found out very interesting things about the people who used the port.

Some of the records did not make sense, as there were several entries that spoke of odd looking strangers who had come to town in the fall of 1765. Among them, a blond noble woman, who apparently like to frequent the streets, only at night.

Soon, a "plague" as the writer had put it, began to appear not long after her arrival.

Reading the names listed she saw that one family in particular was especially "plagued". The McDonnaugh's.

Curious as to what had happened to the McDonnaugh's, Emma continued to search the brown book for clues, greatly intrigued about the plight of this family in particular.

She read that the only reason they were listed, was because the family had been killed by what some of the village elders called a "Vampyr". All members of the family had died within days of the oldest son's death. The town had gone into a panic, and shut down its port in an effort to keep the vampire at bay. But it did not seem to work, as half the town was wiped out within one year of the McDonnaugh Family's death.

Looking at the list of the dead, she found the names of the McDonnaugh's.

"Wife and Mother, Lizzy McDonnaugh, aged 42 years. Daughter, Kathy McDonnaugh, aged 11 years. Father and store owner, Caleb McDonnaugh, aged 52 years. And their only son, Liam McDonnaugh, aged 26 years."

At reading Liam's name, Emma allowed the name to float through her mind. A barrage of images suddenly flashed through Emma's mind like the downtown subway.

All she could see were people running for their lives, and blood smeared on walls. Once, she thought she caught the glimpse of a young family, sitting in front of a fireplace looking quite homely. But the next image showed a young man ripping the throat of the girl, and beating the mother.

As the searing pain began to increase, Emma saw images of what seemed like the same young man, stumbling through town, with a bottle in one hand, and waving the other one around wildly.

He was obviously drunk, but he did not seem to care.

Next, Emma was looking at a beautiful, blond, noble looking woman who looked as though she were talking to the young man, who just stared at her with wide-eyed wonderment. That wonderment turned to fear however, as Emma saw that the young woman was slowly killing the man.

At the last possible second, the woman pulled away and cut her chest with a fingernail, and, as blood began to drip from her wound, the noble woman forced the young man against her chest, like a mother to a newborn babe, and made him drink the red liquid. Emma tried to make the images stop by shaking her head back and forth. The pain she was experiencing throughout her entire body, made her feel as though she were being set ablaze. Finally unable to control the pain any longer, Emma screamed as tears began to flow down her face.

It was then, that the images faded, and slowly Emma came to realize that she was curled up in a ball, with Mr. G holding her, and rocking her, as Daniel kneeled beside her. The last few customers who had been in the store quickly turned and left.

Still sobbing from her vision, Emma cried, "I'm sorry, Mr. G, I didn't mean to scare away your customers."

"Shh, it's alright," said Mr. G as he continued to rock Emma.

"I heard you screaming while I was in the Travel section," Daniel said as Emma continued to cry.

"I came to check on you and here you were, curled up on the floor, screaming to make them stop." Mr. G wiped her hair away from her face.  
Emma felt even worse. Emma thought that when she had screamed, it had been the first time. Now, Mr. G and Daniel were telling her that she had been screaming the whole time.

"Oh, Mr. G," Emma cried as she began to sob even harder into Mr. G's mohair sweater.

"There, there, it's going to be alright," Mr. G pulled Emma up so that he could see her.

"Do you think you could do something for me?"  
Emma looked unsure at first, but then nodded her head.

"Good," Mr. G pulled a card from his tweed blazer. "I want you to go and see this person about your headaches. And don't worry about having to pay for anything, I will call ahead and have that all taken care of, understand?"  
Emma nodded her head slowly to show she understood. "Good, now I want you to go home and get some rest and then call that number in the morning. That way they can get to you before it gets too busy."  
Emma smiled and graciously took the card from Mr. G and put it in her jeans pocket.

Mr. G looked to Daniel, "Do you think you could escort Miss Emma home?"  
"Sure no problem," he said as Emma started to pick up the books, but Mr. G took them from her arms.  
"Uh, Let me take those, I don't think you should carry anything heavy."

"No, I need those," was all Emma could say. Mr. G wanted to protest, but Emma's pleading eyes changed his mind.

"I suppose. BUT, I don't want you to do any more reading tonight," Mr. G said, pointing his finger at Emma.  
"Yes, Mr. G." Emma said smiling at her small victory.

Daniel grabbed Emma's things in her book bag, and wrapping an arm around her, helped her to his car.

After Emma had left the store, Mr. G practically ran into his office and dialed a number.

After waiting several rings, a small voice could be heard on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Yes, hello," Mr. G whispered into the phone. "It's me."

"I thought I told you never to call me at this number." The voice whispered back worriedly.

"I'm sorry. I would not have called except she had another one."  
"What?"  
"Yes, That's the third one in as many weeks."

"I hate to tell you this, but you need to tell her," said the voice rather sadly.

"But I can't do that to her!" Mr. G cried. "You know what happened to the other one, and I refuse to let that happen again! Besides, we don't even know if she is the one."  
"What more proof do you need?" the voice snapped back. "Either you tell her, or I can tell her. But if I have to, she won't be as likely to help."

"Fine." Mr. G snapped at the other line. "I will tell her, but I need more time."  
"You got forty-eight hours, Watcher." Then the line went dead.

Carefully placing the receiver back in the cradle, Mr. G sat down in his chair and placed his head in his hands and cried. He knew that soon, Emma would lose her life fighting for a cause she would never be ready to fight.

End Chapter Three

Sorry it has taken so long! Let me know what you think! What do you think will happen next? PLEASE FeedBack is a MUST!!! And I will update as soon as I can!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Poem by E.B.Browing.

A/N 2: This is a test chapter. So there may be more grammatical mistakes than normal.

Chapter Four

"Thanks for driving me home," Emma said to Daniel as he drove her home. "God, this is so embarrassing!"

"Why do you say that?" Daniel asked, turning to Emma. Emma sighed.

"Because I just had a conniption with a bunch of people in the store!"

"Has that ever happened before?"

"No," Emma said, dropping her hands on her lap. "Never! This is the first time it has ever gotten this bad."

"So, you've had these headaches before?"

"Yeah, but not to this degree," Emma said watching Daniel drive. "And never with moving pictures."

Daniel looked over at Emma as she sat with her head against the window, rubbing her temple.

She shook her head, not believing what had just happened. Emma had been minding her own business, trying to finish her paper, when her brain decided to short circuit on her. Her screaming and thrashing had scared away any potential repeat customers. Emma let her head hit the glass.

"Man, Mr. G is going to make me reshelf that whole section tomorrow," Emma whined.

Daniel giggled. "I doubt it," he said as he turned a corner, "I mean, yeah, he comes off all stuffy and British, but he really seems to care about you."

"That's just cause he has the hots for my aunt." Emma shook her head, a small smile beginning to frame her face. "Turn here."

"Yeah, you're family seems to have the good looks gene," Daniel said with a wry smile.

"Daniel Peterson," Emma said as she leaned to one side, "Are you flirting with moi?"

"Maybe," he told her as he turned down a street.

Emma smiled to herself. "Well, you're not bad, yourself," she replied.

Emma pointed down a road, and Daniel turned the wheel in that direction, and saw a street lined with beautiful, storybook like, homes and town houses.

"That one. Pull up over there." Emma said as she pointed to a light blue, colonial looking, townhouse.

Daniel steered the car over, and pulled to a stop.

"Thank you, again," Emma said as she grabbed her coat and books, and opened the door. "I'm sorry I had to take you away from what you were doing."

"It was nothing," Daniel said, as he grabbed Emma's arm. "Take care of yourself", Daniel told Emma, "The school would be empty with out you."

Emma smiled gratefully at Daniel as she got out of his car. "Thanks, Daniel, that means a lot."

Daniel smiled and told her, "See ya around school," before he sped off in his red Miata.

Emma smiled and shook her head, as she unlocked the door and went inside. Emma closed her eyes as she placed her keys and books on a table by the door, and hung up her coat.

"Home," she mused, walking into her kitchen and opened the fridge. She took out a carton of milk, and poured herself a glass. After placing the carton back in the fridge, Emma grabbed the books and went up the narrow stairs to her office.

She pushed open the door, and her old world office greeted her. Her Federal period bookcase sat against one wall, and in front of her window, Emma had placed a 1800's desk. The only modern piece on the room, was the ergonomic office chair that sat in front of the desk.

Placing the books and milk down on the desk, Emma took her seat and stared at the ancient books. I know I shouldn't, Emma thought, looking at the faded orange book. But she opened it anyway, and turned to the page talking about the McDonnaugh's.

Softly, Emma brushed her fingers over the names, stopping on one in particular. "Liam," she said, touching the letters that formed his name. What is it about you, Liam, that has me so fascinated about you?. Emma spent several minutes, just staring at the name in the book. For some reason, reading his name evoked a feeling of sadness, of pain, loneliness, and guilt. It was almost like Liam was talking to her from the grave.

With a sigh, Emma slammed the book shut, took her glass of milk, and walked into the bedroom. She set the milk on her bedside table, changed into her favorite pajama's, purple flamingoes, and climbed under the cover's. She grabbed the soft teddy bear she kept beside her, hugging it, as she closed her eyes to go to sleep.

Emma had, at first, dreams of green fields and riding horses across a wide plain. But, slowly, the dreams became darker. The horses disappeared, and a Tavern was all she could see. The waving grasses, became people walking down a cobblestone road. Screams could be heard in the background and smears on the walls of a house crossed Emma's line of vision. She stood in a fairly, good sized, room, and looked around her.

In her bed, she began to toss and turn as the images became more real.

Looking beside her, she saw a well dressed woman, in a lacy gown and cap, lying on the floor with her head against the wall. Emma covered her mouth as she kneeled before the obviously dead woman, and reached for her hand. That's when her attention was drawn to the door. A small, shape lay hidden in its shadow. Emma walked over and pushed the door aside, the oil lamp's light revealing the body of a young girl, about twelve years of age, also dressed in a lacy gown and cap. Brushing the girl's hair away from her face, Emma noticed two puncture wounds on the girl's neck. Hearing a groan, Emma looked behind her and saw a man's shoe under the dining table. She ran over to check the man for wounds. Just as she was about to call out to the gentleman, he breathed his last and his head fell to one side, exposing the ugly truth on his neck.

Emma fell back and began to scoot backwards on the floor, stopping, when her hand touched another shoe. She looked up, and heard only a deep, savage growl, before images flashed before her eyes, and she sat up in bed.

Emma sat straight up in bed, her clothes wet, with sweat. Wiping her hair from her face, Emma replayed the dream in her mind. She remembered thinking just as she touched the shoe and woke up, that Liam was not only the one who had survived the slaughter, but that somehow he caused it. But the thing was, normally when Emma would be watching the occasional crime show, she never felt sympathy for the perpetrator.

But this time, she did. Liam had apparently been involved in killing his family, and she felt sorry for him. But it wasn't him, the voice in the back of her mind kept telling her. Running a hand through her hair, Emma got out of bed, and washed her face, before putting on pair of pants and a top. Putting her hair in a ponytail, she grabbed her shoes, and went down stairs to get her coat. Grabbing her keys, Emma walked out of the door. I have got to clear my head, she said as she closed the door behind her.

Emma was walking past the bar that was not far from her house, and noticed a car in the parking lot. It was a black GTX, very much like the one Emma had seen the other day.

_That's funny_, Emma thought, chills running down her spine, no one's supposed to be parked there this late at night. Emma walked past the black convertible, and headed for the alley beside. Entering the alley, Emma could hear the sounds of a fight echoing back at her. Carefully, she walked closer, hoping to not get involved in a fight for her own life.

Emma approached the scene, and was awestruck at what she saw. Two men, were exchanging fists and kicks, in a way that Emma had only seen in The Karate Kid. One was taller, definitely darker, and wore a long, black, trench coat. The man he was fighting was, younger, shorter, and apparently had some kind of skin disease. His eyebrows were lower that the normal person's and his eyes looked like they had jaundice. He was apparently very upset with the man in the trench coat, but the other man, remained calm, and was able to defend himself, brilliantly.

When the one wearing the trench coat kicked the diseased one, he walked over and Emma covered her mouth, as she watched him stab, the diseased one. Instantly, the man disintegrated into ash, and the remaining one stood.

Emma let out a gasp, which came out more like scream, and she turned to run.

"No, wait," said the one in the coat, but Emma didn't stop as the man watched her flee, his own distorted face visible.

888

Emma didn't stop till she made it home and inside. "What the hell is going on," she asked aloud as she locked the deadbolt and walked upstairs, passing out as her head hit the pillow.

Meanwhile, the man in the trench coat, pulled his car into a slot at the Santa Fe Parking Garage, and made his way through the tunnel that lead under the bustling streets of Oklahoma City, to the hotel next door.

As he walked, he continued to search for that which he lost so long ago.

His heart, long cold, had become hard and unforgiving, as he headed in the direction of the place he called home. Yeah, he would help the occasional helpless person, but for the most part, he stayed out of the hero business. He had only attacked that Vampire, because he had heard the woman's scream as he drowned his sorrows at the bar. He had not noticed that someone was watching, until he heard her stifled scream.

He watched her run off, and wished her to stay so he could explain. But she ran so fast, and so hard, that he had lost her by the time he made it out of the alley. So, he got in his convertible and went home.

Once he exited the tunnel, he walked down a darkened hallway, which protected him from the sun's deadly light, and came to a dark wood door.

Opening the door, he stepped inside with a big sigh.

_Another day alone_, he thought as he threw his leather duster over the chair.

He walked into to his small kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Reaching for a dark, glass bottle, he walked back into the living area, sitting in his oversized armchair, and set the bottle on the table beside him.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up a small, leather bound book of poems, he opened it to a well worn, and well read page.

He brushed his fingers down the page and a half smile graces his muscular face. The thin lips curving upward as the memory takes over and he begins to read:

"Because thou hast the power

and own'st the grace

To look though and behind this

Mask of me

(Against which years have beat

thus Blanchingly

With their rains), and behold my soul's true face,

The dim and dreary witness of

Life's race---

Because thou hast the faith and love to see,

Through that same soul's distracting lethargy,

The patient angel waiting for his place,

In the new heaven---because nor

Sin nor woe,

Nor God's infliction, nor death's neighbourhood,

Nor all which others viewing, turn to go,

Nor all which makes me tired of

All, self-viewed---

Nothing repels thee---Dearest, teach me so

To pour out gratitude, as thou dost good!"

As he came to the end of the page, he noticed the scribbling on the bottom of the page.

Written in cursive are the words of a woman long since dead. The words bring out the sadness in the man's chocolate brown eyes.

Struggling to hold on to his sanity, he failed, and throwing the book against a wall, as he placed his head in his hands.

The book landed on the floor, the page where he was reading still open.

And the words "Buffy loves Angel forever" speak volumes.

The next day, Emma grumbled as she exited the doctor's office, "Well, that was a freaking waste of my time!' It's just your body reacting to the weather'," Emma imitated the doctor's diagnosis as she walked down the sidewalk. "Tell me something I don't know!"

Emma was too upset to go home. And she knew going by the bookstore would be pointless, especially since Mr. G would want to interrogate her, when all she wanted to do was take out her frustrations. As she turned the corner, she remembered a friend she had met when she first moved to the City.

His name was Charlie, and he ran a small mechanics shop, and sometimes he would let her hang out and chill when she had time to kill.

Sometimes she would even pick up a wrench and help him out in the garage.

_I could really use the work right about now_, Emma thought as she headed down 15th street, towards Charlie's Garage.

End Chapter Four

OKay, so tell me; what did you think? Should I continue? THis chapter is only a test, as I am right now in process of "tweaking" this story. So depending on your reaction, depends on wether or not I continue with my work! REVIEWS are a MUST people! So please read & review!!!!! Update soon! Any questions, email me!


	5. Author's Note

**To those of you who have been loyally reading this fic,**

**I have halted further postings, until after I have finished re-writing. Nothing will be lost, but information that I felt was missing has been added, therefore hopefully enhancing what already exists. I will post the newly revised chapters as soon as they are complete. If you wish to send in any ideas that you feel would add to this tale, please feel free to do so! Thank you for your continued support, and I will see you guys soon!**

**Sincerely,**

**Emma's Angel**


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